Autumn Nature Tables

Autumn is a favorite time for us when it comes to creating nature tables.  Going on nature hunts for rose hips, fallen leaves, oak balls, dried herbs, and acorns is part of the fun! 

We read books about the harvest, gnomes, and the changing of the seasons as the root children begin their descent into the Earth.

We celebrate Michaelmas and bring out pumpkins in anticipation of Halloween.

Rainbow summer colors, green leaves, and ocean waves disappear as hues of orange, gold, eggplant and brown appear.  A time to celebrate the cooler weather and a time of rest and contemplation.

Magical Math

We are constantly seeking wonderful ways to experience the world of numbers. Here are some of our recent adventures...

Golden Ratio - (phi, spirals, botany, phyllotaxis)

Number Stories (inspired by A Little Garden Flower's Book - wonderful!)

Times Tables (Faerie Rebecca on Etsy makes these)

Gnomes & Jewels (weekly jewel-hunting)

Wilson and Mommy's Math Gnome Song

Once upon a time
There were four little gnomes
They were happy
In their little homes

Under the mushrooms
Near the lumber
They loved to count
Every number

Today they are hunting
Jewels that are shiny
Pretty and round
Sparkly and tiny

Add and Subtract
Times and Divide
Jewels placed in groups

They joyfully guide

The Dell

dell: n. A small secluded wooded valley. A vale.

Our homelearning space is known to us as the "dell". Because we call ourselves "Syrendell", dell is a nickname of sorts. The word "dell" brings up images of a beautiful, magical, wooded vale, full of fairies, sprites and gnomes!

We love our homelearning space...small, secluded and at times, full of wood! The changing seasons are honored by hanging colorful mobiles, and attaching window stars, mosaics or snowflakes to the glass. When the weather is warm, we open the sliding glass door and paint on the deck, extending the dell into the natural world.

We create a wreath for each season. The circle is woven out of wire by Ricky. All three children decide which type of leaf or other bits of nature to include in the wreath. We gather real leaves and make patterns to use later when we cut with felt. In the winter, holly berries are needlefelting. Spring is coming soon, and we will be needlefelting tiny eggs, birds and nests starting this week.

Our "Seasonal Spot" (aka, nature table) is a shelter built by Daddy with twigs from our backyard and reclaimed wood. A wooden tree puzzle shows us the season by the color of leaves (or lack of color). Our friend Gnomy likes to hang out in the Seasonal Spot. Seasonal fairies, finger puppet children, Syrendell Sprites, acorn families or other creatures often visit. Special stones, geodes, acorns, pine cones also can be found in the Seasonal Spot.

The dell features small chalkboards, a space for featuring books and projects that relate to the stories, holidays, S.S. block or science explorations of the week. Daddy's wood puzzles, wood stove, and tree blocks are found under a table, easy to reach for everyone! Our naturally-dyed silks, handmade crowns, play cloths and wooden clothespins are available whenever the mood strikes us. A large basket, full of percussion instruments sits near the foot of the dell, by the piano, as a nice transition space to wear we have our circle time.

Each person in the family has a frame on the wall made from twigs, featuring a watercolor, drawing, or crayon exploration. Baskets of crayons, finger puppets, geometric shapes and wool fibers with a drum carder, hand carders and needlefelters can be found throughout the dell.

We love the dell and try to tidy up when we can! It's our special place to learn, love and grow....

Our Labyrinth

As we meander down the sacred path through the bushes and trees in our back yard, we feel a sense of excitement as our labyrinth comes into view. We walk slowly, one person at a time into the spiral...breathe in...breathe out...pausing in the middle to meditate or visualize. Then, slowly we amble back to the opening of the circuit. After a journey through the labyrinth, we feel calm, grounded, and inspired....

We made a labyrinth in our backyard. It is beautiful, spiritual, calming, and magical.

After walking around the yard a few times, the kids decided that the back corner was the perfect space. We studied pictures of labyrinths from all over the world and we selected the design that we liked the best. Joey drew up a 7-circuit labyrinth, but then quickly decided that the paths would be too narrow. The design was modified to a 5-circuit labyrinth.

Next, we collected stones from the yards and placed them in the corners, the opening, and the middle. Fortunately, we found a bucket full of stones from Carlsbad beach, camping trips to Mt. Lassen and Idyllwild, trips to Lake Almanor, Lake Tahoe, and San Diego...beautiful stones from magical places! This was the perfect opportunity to infuse our yard with the energy of some of our favorite places.

We drew lines in the ground with sticks and then laid the stones on the lines. We spent a couple of weeks completing the circuits. During trips to dance, art and music lessons, we collected a few rocks and brought them home, always being carful to not take too much from one place.

A couple of geodes from the gold country, some agate and calcite from Idyllwild and an amethyst crystal were incorporated into the design. The crystal stands out of the ground at the top of the middle of the labyrinth, reminding us to pause and breathe.

After the rain, we fix any stones that have moved and find unique, pretty mushrooms that seem to have sprung to life over night. We think that the mushrooms are a sign that the fairies and gnomes love our labyrinth!